<p>My son is a junior in high school. He plays in the jazz band (bass and drums) and has taken percussion ensemble. He's teaching himself piano. He's a gifted and talented musician with minimal formal training and is one of the primary drummers at our church (pentecostal) and also plays for other churches. He did not have a desire to go to college and his GPA reflects that. It's somewhere between 2.0-2.5 I think. He thoroughly enjoys creating music, laying tracks, working with production, etc. He went to a performing arts camp for a few weeks last summer which solidified his desire to pursue the Recording Arts, Performing Arts Technology, Music Technology field. He's pretty impressed with Full Sail, but I have my reservations: cost, for-profit, distance (we live in VA). What I do like about Full Sail and schools like it are that they focus on the profession and training and not the liberal arts aspect (english, foreign language, history, sciences). He could easily be an honors student (his teachers have told him this) but he's been a slacker until reality hit him this year; 3 A's and 1 B+ for the first grading period. I've read through the threads and have an idea of some schools we're going to look into. He has not taken the SAT/ACT yet since college wasn't part of his future plan. I'm looking for suggestions on schools that may fit the criteria above and also may offer opportunities for songwriting and possibly performance (percussion, bass, keyboard), as well as would consider talent and not look as hard at academic performance. I don't even know what types of aid will be available. We struggled enough getting aid with his sister who was an honors student...sigh. </p>
<p>Rgains, if you don’t mind my asking, what state are you in? That might help dig up some viable alternatives. I’d strongly second Columbia in your case given the emphasis on the tech, but it is quite pricy and I personally don’t know a lot of folks who’ve received very generous aid…then again, perhaps my pals with kids there have no defined need.</p>
<p>There are even some community colleges that offer a solid music tech background, from which a percentage of kids will launch to matriculate at universities for full degrees. EG Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan has a solid program from which several students go on to finish a full degree at Ball State in Indiana, which has a very nice tech suite.</p>
<p>There may be near by community college options that would give your son a bit more time to kick it up on the academic front should he determine he wanted ultimately to attend one of the more academically rigorous programs.</p>
<p>I think Ball State is a great option. Not too pricey, academic standards are a bit less stringent than some of the more engineering-oriented programs, and the facilities are stellar. I have a buddy in that program right now and he’s enjoying it.</p>
<p>He’s a junior, so there is time for him to take the standardized tests. Have him down with the guidance counselor and decide which is better suited to his learning style and register now- he can get in at least two exams before he needs the scores. There is physics involved with many of the Recording or Tech programs, so he needs to show that he can cut it. If he brings his grades up this year and stays there next year too (don’t let “senioritis” strike) his change of heart can be explained in essays and interviews.
When looking at schools, find out where their grads are working and if there are any that he can talk with. Stradmom’s right, stay away from Full Sail- reputations are important and a bad or “iffy” school can doom a student before he/she even fills out a job application.</p>
<p>My child wants to do the same thing and we live in NC. Look at Barton College in Wilson, NC. They have music recording in their Mass Communications program (Audio Engineering). We toured, met a professor and saw the recording studio. So far it is my sons first choice. Also close to VA is Elon University in NC. They have a Music Production and Recording Arts degree. Good luck!</p>
<p>My son is very impressed with the recording program at Middle Tennessee State. Since your s is only a junior, have him spend some time with his grades and the SAT. I highly recommend Khan Academy, a free online site with lots of videos on math and SAT improvement. My children both have used it and improved their scores tremendously. If possible, could he take a community college dual enrollment to prove he can do the college work? That would be a last resort, in my opinion, but it’s worth a thought.</p>
<p>Another thing about Middle Tennessee State is that their admission is based on GPA or test score (not both) so if he does have a decent score his grades won’t matter. And the recording industry program is not in the music school, so no audition required. He will need to maintain a 3.0 to remain in the program.</p>
<p>There is a fairly new 2-year program in Columbus OH that prepares students for working in the music industry. I don’t know much about it’s reputation in the music world but the concept is intriguing. <a href=“http://grooveu.net/”>http://grooveu.net/</a></p>